A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

The Meek of the Earth
 
"Seek ye the LORD all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger." (Zephaniah 2:3)
 
This phrase, "the meek of the earth," occurs three times in the Bible (see also Psalm 76:9, which promises their salvation; and Isaiah 11:4, which assures them justice). Our text promises deliverance from God's wrath.
 
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5), said Jesus, referring to the promise of Psalm 37:11: "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
 
There are many other similar promises: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way" (Psalm 25:9). "He will beautify the meek with salvation" (Psalm 149:4), so we need to put on "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:4).
 
That meekness is not weakness is made clear from the first use of the word in the Bible. "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). Moses was strong and courageous, but also deeply humble and self-sacrificing; a man of prayer and trust in the Word of God, willing to defend it at all costs. The Lord Jesus defined meekness in terms of His own human character: "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).
 
A meek spirit enables a Christian to maintain composure in the face of opposition, to accept adversity without complaint; promotion without arrogance; demotion without resentment. It produces a peace which no trouble can disturb and which no prosperity can puff up. Therefore, as our text commands: "Seek meekness!" HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Always
 
"And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:20)
 
A favorite old song of many senior citizens (of this writer, at least) is the sentimental "I'll be loving you--always" ballad written long ago by Irving Berlin. The sincerity of some who sing it may be questioned, but the many "always" promises of the Bible really mean it. Consider a few of these precious promises, for example.
 
The apostle Paul urges believers to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). And to the same Corinthian church he later wrote: "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:14).
 
Then there is that other tremendous promise in the same epistle: "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).
 
The greatest such promise is that in our text, when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself promised that "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).
 
These are also a number of very important exhortations in the Scriptures involving an "always" type of commitment. For example, Jesus said: "that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). That is, never give up praying just because the answer seems a long time coming. Furthermore, Paul says that we should be "giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20).
 
Then, we are to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4). Finally, there is the command to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Abiding Words
 
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7)
 
In order for the words of the Lord really to abide in us, it seems clear that we should commit as many of them to memory--not only in our minds, but in our hearts--as we possibly can. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart," the psalmist said, "that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11).
 
There are many promises of blessing to those who have God's Word in their hearts. "For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips" (Proverbs 22:18). "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; . . . Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:1, 5).
 
Both the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter have noted the importance of Scripture memorization. Paul says: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).
 
Peter's exhortation is as follows: "This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets |i.e., the Old Testament Scriptures|, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour |i.e., the New Testament Scriptures|" (2 Peter 3:1-2). The words "be mindful" mean essentially "recall to mind."
 
Since the Scriptures cannot be recalled to mind unless they've first been installed in the mind, and since they cannot abide in our hearts unless we first hide them in our hearts, it is surely pleasing and honoring to God that we learn "by heart" as much of His Word as we can. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Incarnation of Christ
 
"Christ Jesus...being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:5-7)
 
"Great is the mystery of godliness," Paul exclaimed as he summarized the incarnation (1 Timothy 3:16). No mere words, even those inspired by God Himself, can completely express what transpired when "the Word was made flesh" (John 1:14). There are, however, a few clues in this marvelous Philippians passage.
 
The choice of the Greek word morphe to express what Jesus possessed prior to His becoming the God-Man is important. This "form" of God is not the Greek word that one would choose to express the visible or outward shape--that word would be schema. Morphe emphasizes the character, the being, that makes the being what it is.
 
Interestingly, morphe is also used to tell us that Jesus took on the "form" of a servant: "|He| made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). Jesus "voided" the morphe that He rightfully possessed as God and "received" (passive) the morphe of a servant or slave (doulos). Then, "in the likeness |homoioma, similitude| of men" He came to be |ginomai, to come into existence|."
 
We may never fully understand what transpired in the councils of Triune eternity. But this we can know and believe: Jesus became man for men, and He alone saved us from our sin and justly granted us eternal life. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sleight of Men
 
"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Ephesians 4:14)
 
There are many winds of doctrine blowing in the religious atmosphere today, and most of these are ill winds, indeed. The number of strange philosophies and occult movements seems almost endless, not only in this country but perhaps even more in others. Sad to say, new Christians seem particularly vulnerable: These involve more than just differences of interpretation as between Baptists and Methodists, or even as between Catholics and Protestants.
 
The word "sleight" is from the Greek kubeia, from which we derive the English word "cube," and actually refers to cubical dice or other devices for gambling. It is used only once in the New Testament, warning against taking spiritual chances on novel philosophies and practices. These originate with men who are deceivers, having been deceived themselves by Satan or his demonic agents. The phrase "cunning craftiness" is one word in the Greek, a word also translated "subtlety" in 2 Corinthians 11:3, referring to how the devil "beguiled Eve through his subtlety."
 
Young Christians especially are exhorted therefore to "grow up into |Christ| in all things" (Ephesians 4:15). Likewise, the closing words in the writings of the apostle Peter were to "beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:17-18).
 
And that's the key when evaluating some new notion. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Reverend God
 
"He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name." (Psalm 111:9)
 
It is most interesting that the adjective "reverend" is used only this once in the entire King James Bible. And there it applies to God, not to any man!
 
However, the Hebrew word so translated in this verse (yare) occurs therein frequently, usually being translated (some 30 times) as "terrible." The first time it is applied to God was by Moses. "Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible" (Deuteronomy 7:21). Note also Moses' testimony in Deuteronomy 10:17: "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward."
 
For those who would deny or oppose Him, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). But God is also uniquely a God of love. He is a merciful and forgiving God; He is "the God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10) and of many other wonderful attributes.
 
"He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth" (God is thus omnipresent). "He fashioneth their hearts alike" (He is omnipotent). "He considereth all their works" (He is omniscient) (Psalm 33:14-15).
 
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." If a person truly believes the first verse of the Bible, he should be able to believe all other verses in the Bible, no matter what men or devils can say to the contrary. Our God, who has also become our Redeemer and Savior, is "eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God" (1 Timothy 1:17).
 
He is indeed a God of many attributes. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

No Complaints
 
"And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp." (Numbers 11:1)
 
The Lord is not pleased when we complain about our circumstances, no matter how grievous they may seem to us. Our example is Christ, always. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).
 
The children of Israel complained once too much. Forgetting all of God's blessings in miraculously freeing them from slavery and providing all their needs, they repeatedly complained about their lot, one thing after another. "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. . . . Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer" (1 Corinthians 10:5-6, 10).
 
God may not deal with a complaining Christian as severely as He did with His chosen people, Israel, but we can be sure He is displeased when we, who have received the blessing of eternal salvation by His gracious gift through Christ, forget His benefits and complain about His testing. "Do all things without mumurings and disputings," He has commanded (Philippians 2:14)--that is, without complaining and arguing about our treatment.
 
We can be confident that He is allowing these difficulties for some good purpose in preparing us for our service for Him in eternity. We should not forget what happened to the complainers in ancient Israel. "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition" (1 Corinthians 10:11). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Early Risers
 
"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." (Mark 1:35)
 
One of the best ways to meet the Lord is to rise up early in the morning, before activities of the day can interfere. This apparently was the practice of Jesus Himself.
 
There are also many other occurrences in the Bible: "Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD" (Genesis 19:27). In order to set up an altar, "Jacob rose up early in the morning" (Genesis 28:18). When Moses gave the people the laws of God, he "wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill" (Exodus 24:4). Later, when he was to receive the commandments a second time, "Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai" (Exodus 34:4). "Joshua rose early in the morning" to lead Israel over the Jordan, and then to capture Jericho; and to take Ai, "Joshua rose up early in the morning" (Joshua 3:1; 6:12; 8:10).
 
During the time of the Judges, Gideon "rose up early on the morrow" to prove God's will through putting out the fleece (Judges 6:38). Hannah and Elkanah, in praying for the son who would later become Samuel, "rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:19).
 
No doubt there are justifiable exceptions, but late sleeping is in general not a good thing. "How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? . . . he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame" (Proverbs 6:9; 10:5). It is good to seek the Lord early each day. "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me" (Proverbs 8:17). "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:3). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

When the Boughs Break
 
"When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favor." (Isaiah 27:11)
 
Like a mighty tree towering over the forest, God raises up a mighty nation from time to time, with a great leader, to accomplish some purpose in the divine plan. He "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26).
 
But when that nation and its leaders become proud, and its people become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, it becomes like a tree whose branches wither and whose core becomes riddled with insect-caused decay. Finally, the boughs break, the kingdom will fall, and down will come that nation, its leaders and all!
 
That happened even to God's chosen nation, Israel, though only for a time in her case, since God's promises cannot fail. One after another, the mighty nations that God used to chastise His wayward people--Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Rome, etc.--have in turn been judged for their own rebellion against the God who "made them" and "formed them." God has warned that "the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Psalm 9:17).
 
Is that about to happen to our beloved USA as well? The signs of self-seeking power and pride among our leaders and moral decay and spiritual rebellion among our people are widespread and growing worse. Our prayer should be that of the ancient prophet. "O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, . . . in wrath remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" (Psalm 85:6). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Without the Camp
 
"And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount." (Exodus 19:17)
 
Most of the vital activities of Israel as they were camped in the wilderness took place at the tabernacle in the midst of the camp. On the other hand, there are in the Scriptures about thirty references to things that had to take place "without the camp." The event described in our text is the first of these. The people had not yet come into covenant relationship with God, but were just about to encounter Him at Mount Sinai.
 
Once they had committed themselves to the covenant of law, the only events required to take place outside the camp had to do with keeping intact the holiness of the camp itself. For example, lepers were made to remain "without the camp" (Leviticus 13:46), because of both the infectious nature of the disease and also the fact that leprosy is used in the Bible as a type of sin. Those who were convicted of blasphemy against God were stoned "without the camp" (Leviticus 24:14), and this was also done in the case of those who ignored God's Sabbath rest day (Numbers 15:35). All the bodies of animals slain as sin-offerings had to be "burned without the camp" (Hebrews 13:11).
 
All of these were also types of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate sin-offering for the sin of the whole world. "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate" (Hebrews 13:12). In Jesus' time on earth, there was no camp as such, so He was taken outside the city walls for execution.
 
As a result of the willingness of the Lord Jesus to die for us, we are exhorted to die to self and live unto Him. "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (Hebrews 13:13-14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Mockers--Ancient and Modern
 
"But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews." (Nehemiah 4:1)
 
The art of mocking God and His people has changed little through the ages. The pagan enemies that surrounded the Jews as they were trying to rebuild Jerusalem 400 years before Christ, tried various means to defeat them--essentially the same devices used by God's enemies today.
 
They tried political and sociological means, after their efforts at infiltration failed, but these also failed (see Ezra 5:6, 17; 6:6-7; 9:1; 10:11-12). Then, when Nehemiah actually began work on the city's wall, they tried discouragement by ridicule (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1-3), by threat of violence (4:7-8), and by attempted treachery (6:2).
 
Likewise, the enemies of God's Word and God's plan today are trying all these devices in a modern format. They use political means (such as the ACLU), compromising infiltration (liberal teachers in once-sound Christian schools), and even persecution (as in communist countries).
 
The strategy of "mocking" is often especially effective against Christians in education, science, or other professional fields. Such people place a high premium on peer recognition, and thus are sensitive to snide remarks about the Bible. Thus when, in the words of 2 Peter 3:4, latter-day scoffers come saying: "Where is the promise of his coming? . . . all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (which is essentially a denial of God and creation), there is great pressure to tacitly agree with the scoffers, and many Christians will seek some compromise.
 
But Nehemiah did not compromise, and neither should we. The Bible says that those who ridicule God's Word are "willingly ignorant" (2 Peter 3:5), and there is no need to pander to willful ignorance of God's invulnerable truth. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Eternal God
 
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalm 90:2)
 
This verse was written by Moses as the children of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land. Perhaps the most basic of all the attributes of God is that He "inhabiteth eternity" (Isaiah 57:15). He is "from everlasting to everlasting," the God who ever was and ever shall be.
 
Creatures of time cannot really comprehend the idea of past eternity. "But who made God?" children ask. "Nobody made God," we answer. "He always was." The alternative would be to believe in the eternity of "space" and "matter," but these in themselves are utterly incapable of producing our complex universe. God, however, is an adequate First Cause to explain all the effects of our infinite, intricate cosmos.
 
There are many other Scriptures assuring us that God has always been. "Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting" (Psalm 93:2). He is "the everlasting God, the Lord" (Isaiah 40:28). And this truth applies to God the Son as well as to God the Father. The Lord Jesus could say, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Revelation 22:13).
 
We find it somewhat easier to contemplate the fact that God will live forever. Still, certain foolish men have imagined that God is dead, but "the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king" (Jeremiah 10:10).
 
The most glorious fact of all is that this living God did also become man, in the person of Christ Jesus, and He did die. But He soon defeated death and now can say: "I am alive for evermore" (Revelation 1:18). And now, since "we believe that Jesus died and rose again, . . . so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 17). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Submission
 
"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5:21)
 
Normally in today's world we are told to strive for the top. Desire to be "Number 1" overshadows the biblical injunction of submission. But when we are truly in a right relationship with God, we will be submitting to one another. Christ taught that servanthood was of much greater value in the eyes of God than mastery.
 
We all know too many examples of churches which have been split by conflicts arising from selfishness among the believers or an unwillingness to serve. "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James 4:1). A Spirit-filled Christian (Ephesians 5:18) desires to submit and serve, rather than to assert and rule.
 
The same thought is reflected throughout Scripture: "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). "Obey them |i.e., spiritual leaders| that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls" (Hebrews 13:17). We must also submit to "every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Peter 2:13).
 
The word "submit" is a translation of two Greek words meaning "to line up under." It usually reflects a military hierarchy, "to rank lower than." Our goal, therefore, should be to place others above ourselves and to be in submission to and in service of them.
 
This attitude, of course, was the attitude that Christ exhibited as He left heaven to come and serve, and die, who "took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:7-8). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

A Mind to Work
 
"So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work." (Nehemiah 4:6)
 
The ambitious project of rebuilding Jerusalem's wall, with all its gates and other structures, was completed in less than two months (Nehemiah 6:15), for all "the people had a mind to work." This was in spite of the danger from the external enemies who wanted to delay the work if they could.
 
The third chapter of Nehemiah has a remarkable list of the workmen on the wall. Men of all walks of life participated, each with an assigned portion of the work as organized by Nehemiah. The first verse of the chapter tells of the work done by Eliashib, the high priest, and all the other priests; the last verse lists the contribution of the goldsmiths and the merchants. There were the Nethinims (v. 26), apothecaries (v. 8), rulers (i.e., "mayors," vv. 9, 12, 14-16), and various others. At least one man even had his daughters working (v. 12). Only the nobles of the Tekoites "put not their necks to the work of their LORD" (v. 5).
 
This would be a good model for any doctrinally sound, Bible-believing church, school, or other Christian ministry. It's a lesson we would do well to learn. The mission and its goal are surely more important than the special desires or interests of any individual or group. At the same time, enforced cooperation will only breed resentment and inefficiency. The people themselves must be led to understand it as not just a job to do, but as a divine calling: they themselves must have "a mind to the work." Otherwise they should probably be encouraged to work elsewhere.
 
The early Christians served "daily with one accord . . . and singleness of heart, . . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:46-47). That's the way it should be. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

How Does God Hear?
 
"Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive." (2 Chronicles 6:21)
 
No less than eight times in Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple does he beseech God to "hear from heaven" (see 2 Chronicles 6:21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39). But the obvious question is just how can God hear our prayers, especially those uttered only in silence?
 
The answer is in both God's omniscience and His omnipresence. Although God is indeed on His heavenly throne, He is also right here! "O lord," David prayed, "thou hast searched me, and known me. . . . thou understandest my thought afar off" (Psalm 139:1-2). He can, and does, hear our prayers. "He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?" (Psalm 94:9).
 
In a manner of speaking, He hears the prayers of redeemed children today even more directly than in David's day, for we who trust in Christ have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. "God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them" (2 Corinthians 6:16). "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers" (1 Peter 3:12).
 
God can indeed hear our prayers. But there are times when He refuses to hear! "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God . . . that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2).
 
Yes, but if we ask anything according to His will (and this implies first living according to His will), "he heareth us: and . . . we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him" (1 John 5:14-15). HMM